Richard C. Holbrooke, the globetrotting diplomat who sought to bring the lessons of Vietnam to the forefront of the contemporary debate about Afghanistan, died Monday in Washington. He was 69.

Holbrooke, the State Department’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was one of the preeminent Democratic voices on foreign policy in recent decades, and his efforts produced one of the Clinton White House’s signature diplomatic achievements: peace in the Balkans.

His life was one long on experience — the first president he served was Lyndon Johnson — and rarely short on words, having served as the managing editor of the influential Foreign Policy. Holbrooke’s blend of government service under four American presidents and private life as an investor and writer yielded a skilled negotiator with a dazzling intellect and a hard-charging style.

Holbrooke’s boss, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whom the late ambassador served during her 2008 campaign for the presidency, hailed him Monday as one of the nation’s “fiercest champions and most dedicated public servants.”

President Obama echoed Clinton’s sentiments. He described Holbrooke as “a truly unique figure who will be remembered for his tireless diplomacy, love of country, and pursuit of peace. ”

His career at the State Department, which commenced after his graduation from Brown University, was one of repeated milestones. He spent six years in Vietnam working both with ordinary Vietnamese as a member of the United States Agency for International Development and with statesmen as an aide to the American ambassador.

During the Carter administration, Holbrooke managed the East Asian and Pacific Affairs portfolio at the State Department. More than a decade later, Holbrooke returned to public service under another Southern Democrat, serving Bill Clinton as ambassador to Germany, assistant secretary of state for European affairs and as representative to the United Nations.

Though his ultimate ambition to serve as secretary of state went unrealized under the Clinton and Obama administrations, Holbrooke remained one of his party’s most prolific thinkers on matters around the world.

He could be both charming and abrasive, both byproducts of his decades near or at the epicenter of policymaking. After trading barbs with members of Congress during one oversight hearing earlier this year, Holbrooke spent about 20 minutes afterward glad-handing the same representatives with whom he had done policy combat.

After Holbrooke suffered chest pains Friday during a meeting at the State Department, physicians diagnosed a tear in his aorta, the artery that provides blood to the body. An initial surgery that spanned some 21 hours followed, and officials at George Washington University Hospital said he was in critical condition.

Holbrooke, whom Hillary Clinton described as “a fighter to the end,” died surrounded by his wife, Kati Marton, his two sons and his two stepchildren.

Rick Dunham of the Houston Chronicle is a leading expert on journalists' use of social media and niche web sites. He created Texas on the Potomac in 2007. He also is the president of the National Press Club Journalism Institute, the educational and charitable arm of the world's leading professional organization for journalists.

About Capitol Confidential

Capitol Confidential gathers the best coverage of New York politics and puts it all together. Each section - Capitol, The State Worker, New York on the Potomac, and Voices - represents a unique facet of the political scene. The Capitol section features coverage from the Times Union Capitol bureau. The State Worker is dedicated to state worker issues. New York on the Potomac offers news of interest to New Yorkers from Washington. And Voices features the best of everything else, pointing you to columnists and bloggers from across the Web.